UK game player advocacy group Gamers' Voice has filed a formal complaint with Channel 5 over an episode of The Wright Stuff in which violent video games were the topic of discussion. During the show playing violent video games were linked to the shooting of Agnes Sina-Inakoju by Leon Dunkley and Mohammed Smoured. The two have already been convicted for the crime. The pair are members of the London Fields gang, who were responsible for a number of violent acts including the stabbing of 14 year old Shaquille Smith in 2009.

During the show, the host and panel members discussed whether violent games were a significant factor in the boys' behavior. Anne Diamond, who is known for anti-video game rhetoric, was one of those panelists. The show also aired footage of 18-rated Modern Warfare 2's infamous "No Russian" level.

Gamers' Voice says that the context and discussion were poorly balanced and argued, and that airing "unsuitable material before the watershed" constitutes a violation of broadcast rules. The Modern Warfare 2 footage was shown at 10:30 am - a time slot when children are likely to be watching television.

Comments from the group are below:

"It's nothing new that TV loves to sensationalise gamers and shooters," reads a statement on the group's website.

"Instead of trying to learn and educate themselves as to why people commit horrific crimes, TV loves to target gaming. Gaming is easy to attack and it seems that it can conveniently 'explain the increase violent behaviour'.

"In the episode of the 'Wright Stuff' that was aired on Channel 5 on Thursday 14th April, they discussed the alleged causal link between video games and violent behaviour. In particular, they focused on the detached way that 22-year-old Leon Dunkley drew a sub-machine gun and killed customers in a London pizza parlour.

"Instead of talking about possible the social, mental or economic problems that could have driven Dunkley to kill, the Wright stuff went straight to what must be the cause for the problem. It wasn't gang culture which puts perceived respect above regard for human life, no, it's first person shooters that are responsible.

"What was even more shocking was that during the introduction to the discussion, they showed scenes from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Specifically the infamous level 'No Russian' where the play can gun down unarmed civilians, if they so choose. So apparently at 10.30 in the morning during the school holidays, it's fine to show scenes from an 18 rated game to set context of how it causes violence, which goes in some way the level ignorance of all involved in the programme on the subject being discussed."

I watched the segment, it was the usual tabloid TV drivel, what's worse was one of the other panellists was a Doctor and he was going on about the psychological effects when the studies that have been done show the opposite. Anne Diamond even went on to say that the studies that find there's no effect are usually done by videogames companies when again it's the ones that say they do that are usually done by censor happy fools like her. Urgh!

"MW: Absolutely. Which you can equate with a teenage boy who almost certainly would have played just those games, spraying a machine gun without..."

Hypothetically, if they were talking about banning games (which I realise they aren't), what sort of sense would that make in the context of someone being able to get their hands on a sub machinegun in the UK? You can't even buy a realistic-looking BB gun without being a member of a club, and even that level of restriction hasn't ruled out the possibility of violent crime.

^this. For everyone else's reference, it's owned by Richard 'Dirty' Desmond, owner of the Express and Star newspapers, a handful of porn mags (hence the nickname) and the former owner of failed videogames channel xLeague.TV

I'm not sure myself- on the one hand it does pick up on their hypocracy, and there is an air of the "That mafia bloke they got on tax charges" genius to it, but on the other hand, it does feel a bit like GV are going "Well, we can't actually do anything about this, but we don't like you so we'll be petty and pick you up on something tangentially relevant".

Still, if it makes the programme makers think twice before doing this sort of thing again, then I'm fine with it- all's fair in love and war, and that.

Actually, they seem to have a pretty solid argument. Not to mention, they're one of the few who actually get off their arses and fight back, rather than sit in the forums and bitch about anti-gamer hypocracy (hint hint). Got to give'em credit (and maybe we should give a little more effort).

I'm wondering what to do, myself, CVG started a campaign called W.R.O.N.G.: http://bit.ly/fOs2zC , but it seems most comments are being ignored, as Anne said on the show:

They're having a go at both of us, aren't they? Because of what we said about computer games.

I've come across these people before. If you write anything critical or say anything critical of computer games, you become a victim of really vicious hate mail.

Now I'm not suggesting that some of that 'hate mail' might not be 'really vicious', but I have a feeling much of it is just people disagreeing with her- but really it's only two halves of the same whole, GV is just doing what everyone else is, only more politely. If anything's going to change, then a Strongly Worded Letter isn't going to cut it, IMO.

"I've come across these people before. If you write anything critical or say anything critical of what they ignorantly say on a TV show, you become a victim of really passive-aggressive slanderous comments."

Shout box

Infophile: @Matt: Apparently Dan Aykroyd actually is involved. We don't know how yet, though, but he's apparently going to be in the movie in some way.08/02/2015 - 4:17am

Mattsworkname: I still hold that not having the origonal cast invovled in any way hurts this movie, and unless the 4 actresses in the lead roles can some how measure up to the comic timing of the origonal cast, i just don't see it being a success08/02/2015 - 12:46am

Mattsworkname: Mecha: regardless of what you think of it, GB 2 was a finanical success and for it time did well with audiances ,even if it wasnt as popular as the first08/02/2015 - 12:45am

MechaTama31: I think they're better off trying to do something different, than trying to be exactly the same and having every little difference held up as a shortcoming. Uncanny valley.08/01/2015 - 11:57pm

MechaTama31: Having the original cast didn't do much for... that pink-slimed atrocity which we must never speak of.08/01/2015 - 11:56pm

Mattsworkname: Andrew: If the new ghostbusters bombs, I cant help but feel it'll be cause it removed the origonal cast and changed the formula to much08/01/2015 - 8:31pm

Andrew Eisen: Not the best look but that appears to be a PKE meter hanging from McCarthy's belt.08/01/2015 - 7:34pm

Mattsworkname: You know what game is a lot of fun? rocket league. It' s a soccer game thats actually fun to play cause your A Freaking CAR!08/01/2015 - 7:02pm

Mattsworkname: Nomad colossus did a little video about it, showing the world and what can be explored in it's current form. It's worth a look, and he uses text for commentary as not to break the immerison08/01/2015 - 5:49pm

Mattsworkname: I feel some more mobility would have made it more interesting and I feel that a larger more diverse landscape with better graphiscs would help, but as a concept, it interests me08/01/2015 - 5:48pm

Andrew Eisen: Huh. I guess I'll have to check out a Let's Play to get a sense of the game.08/01/2015 - 5:47pm

Mattsworkname: It did, I found the idea of exploring a world at it's end, exploring the abandoned city of a disappeared alien race and the planets various knooks and crannies intriqued me.08/01/2015 - 5:46pm

Andrew Eisen: Did it appeal to you? If so, what did you find appealing?08/01/2015 - 5:43pm

Mattsworkname: Its an interesting concept, but it's not gonna appeal to everyone thats for sure,08/01/2015 - 5:40pm

Andrew Eisen: That sounds horrifically boring. Doesn't sound like an interesting use of its time dilation premise either. 08/01/2015 - 5:36pm

Mattsworkname: an observer , seeing this sorta frozen world and being able to explore without any restriction other then time. no enimes, no threats, just the chance to explore08/01/2015 - 5:34pm